Conveying apparatus.



No. 685,579. J. G.=DELANEY.

CONVEYING APPARATUS. A' neationmed an. 17, 1906) Patented Oct. 29, I90l.

a sheets-sh t I.

(No Model.)

ATTORNEY No.'685,579. Patented 0st. 29, I90].

.I. G. DELANEY.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Jan. 17; 1900,

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

@ATTORNEYS No; 685,579. Patented Oct. 29, I901.

' J-. G. DELANEY.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

v (Application filed-Jan. 17, 1900.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Shaet 3.

q/Qhimaowq NiTEn STATES PATENT GFFIcE.

JAMES G. DELANEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 685,579, dated October 29, 1901.

Application fild January 17. 1900. Serial No. 1.719. on model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES G. DELANEY,.a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Conveying Apparatus, of

which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to an improvement in devices for transferring goods between two relatively-movin g bodies-as, for instance,between two vessels at sea.

My invention comprises novel features which will hereinafter be pointed out in the claims.

Figures 1, 2, 3, and t of the drawings show different modifications of my device as applied to transferring goods from one vessel to another. Fig. 5 shows the construction of a drum which is to beused in connection with one of the modifications. Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively elevation and plan of a compeneating-engine of a type adapted for use with my device.

The principal object of my invention is to transfer coal from a collier to a war vessel; but it is evident that the device may be used for transferring goods of any character between any two relatively-moving objects. I have herein shown it only as applied to trans ferring articles from one vessel to another.

In the drawings as herein shown, A represents the collier, and B the war vessel. These two vessels are connected by a line by which one vessel tows the other, so that the line is kept taut. This may be accomplished without the vessels having positive motion, as by anchoring one of the vessels. This will, however, in effect, be the same as if one vessel was towing the other. As shown in Fig. 1, the tow-line C is connected with the bow of the war vessel 13 and with a towing-engine G upon the stern of the collier, or any form of engine having a compensating dru m-that is, a drum which will be turned backward to pay out cable when the strain rises above any desired pointand which takes in the cable as soon as the strain falls below this point. An engine of this type, although not 'the only form of engine which may be used for this purpose, is shown in Figs. 6 and 7. This ongine comprises a drum L, upon which both ropes C and E are wound in the same direction, and the steam-cylinders M and M,which are connected to the drum to turn it in any convenient manner. One of these engines, as M', has steam-pressure constantly thereon, but is able alone only to produce the minimum desired,strain upon the ropes (J and E. The other engine M has a throttle-valve N controlling its steam-supply and controlled by a rotatable shaft 0, which forms an extension of the valve-stem. This Valve-stem or shaft 0 is connected with the drum L or its shaft by bevel-gears P and P, so as to be turned by the drum. When excess strain upon the ropes causes the drum to turn backward, and thus overcome the power of the engine M, shaft 0 is turned to open valve N and supply steam to engine M, thus gradually adding its resistance to that of the engine M. 'As soon as the power of the combined engines exceeds the rotative effect of the strain upon the two ropes the drum will be turned thereby to take up the rope which was previously. paid out and also to gradually close valve N and the supply of steam to engine M.

Upon the mast of the collier is placed a sheave cl, about which passes the load-supporting line D. This line extends to a sheave cl, which is supported in an elevated position upon the war vessel by means of shear-legs K or in any other suitable manner and has its end connected at any convenient point upon the war vessel. One end of this cable passes about the drum of the compensating engine upon which the towingline 0 is wound, so that when the towing-line is taken up or let out the load-supporting line D is similarly taken up or let out. Upon this line D is mounted one or more carriers F, which may be of any desired construction and to which the coal or other article which is to be transferred is connected. To the carrier F is also connected the traversing rope E, which extends through suitable sheaves upon the mast of the collier and the shear-legs upon the war vessel. In the construction which is shown in Fig. 1 this traversing rope is double, extending from the collier to'the war vessel and back again. In this figure this rope is shown as being wound upon an engine having two separate drums H, each drum accommodating one end of the rope. The carrier is caused to travel upon the load-sup-l porting line D by winding in upon one or the other of the drums. By this means the carrier may be caused to pass back and forth between the two vessels.

In the form shown in Fig. 2 a single drum H is mounted upon the collier and a single drum H upon the war vessel, these drums being operated by steam, electricity, or any other suitable motor. One end of the traversing rope passes about the drum I1 and the other end about the drum H In the form of device shown in Fig. 3 the towing-rope C is omitted, the loarl-supporting rope D serving the double purpose of a towing-rope and a track for the carrier F to run upon. In this figure the two drums H and H one mounted upon each vessel, are shown for operating the traversing rope E.

In Fig. 4 the towingrope (J is used, and the load-supporting rope D is of the same character as previously described. The mounting of the traversing rope is, however, different. In this form the traversing rope is an endless rope extending from the collier to the war vessel and back again, the rope passing abouta drum II, which is constructed on the same principle as a capstan or winchhead, the rope passing about the same a number of times to secure the requisite friction. A single sheave h is fixedly supported in an elevated position upon and adjacent to the mast, and a second sheave h is placed within a loop F, formed in the traversing rope. This sheave h is connected with a rope I, which passes about a guide-pulley J and then leads to the drum of the compensating engine G, so that as the cables G and D are paid out or taken in the rope I will be similarly paid out or taken in, thus automatically varying the effective length of the traversing rope E.

It is evident that the relative position of the collier and war vessel may be reversed without interfering with the principle of my invention. Either vessel may act as the towing vessel, as the circumstances may require.

In the form of device shown in Fig. 4 the drum of the compensating engine G would be constructed in the form shown in Fig. 5, having three subdivisions-one for the towingline 0, one for the load-supporting line D, and the other for the rope I.

The object of the compensating engine is to allow the ropes connecting the two vessels to be lengthened or shortened as may be necessary to accommodate the pitching of the two vessels and the amount which one vessel may be accelerated or retarded relative to the other, due to passing over heavy swells.

While I have herein shown in Figs. 6 and 7 an engine of a certain construction for securing this result, any other form of device which will secure the same result may be used without departing from the spirit of my invention, which lies not in the engine itself,

but in the use of a compensating engine or equivalent device in combination with the other constructions shown. My invention contemplates the use of any form of compensating or yielding and recovering device connected with the ropeway to secure the proper tension thereof while permitting the length of ropeway between its supports on the boats to be varied. This compensating may also be done at either or both ends of the ropeway.

With a device of this character it is possible to transfer coal or other articles from one vessel to another even when there is considerable swell.

I claim 1. In combination, two relatively-moving supports, a ropeway between the same, a tension device on one of said supports tending to hold said ropeway taut and a rope extending from said tension device to the other of said supports whereby the operation of said tension device is controlled, substantially as described.

2. In combination, a pulling-boat, a pulled boat, a pulling-line, a ropeway and a yielding and recovering mechanism common to both of the same, substantially as described.

3. In combination, a towing-boat, a towed boat, a towing-line, a load-supporting line, a common strain-controlled yielding and recovering mechanism for both of said lines, a load-carrier and means for traversing the load-carrier upon the load-supporting line, substantially as described.

4. In a device for transferring goods between boats or other relatively-movable 0bjeets, the combination of a load-supporting line connecting the two boats, a carrier adapted to run on said'line, a traversing line acting on said carrier to move it, and automatically-yielding connections from both of said lines to one of the boats, substantially as described.

5. In a device for transferring goods between boats or other relatively-movable objects, the combination of a load-supporting line connecting the two boats, a carrier adapted to run on said line and a traversing line acting on said carrier to move it, with a common tensioncontrolling device acting upon both of said lines, substantially as described.

6. In a device for transferring goods between two boats, the combination of a towing line, a load-supporting line, a traversing line and a carrier adapted to run on the load-supporting line and connected with the traversing line, with means for actuating the traw ersing line and means for automatically and proportionately lengthening and shortening all of said lines at the same time, substantially as described.

7. In a device for transferring goods between two boats, the combination of a towingline, a load-supporting line, a traversing line and a carrier adapted to run on the load-supporting line and connected with the traversing line, with means for actuating the traversing line, automatically-controlled yielding and recovering mechanism acting directly upon the towing and load-supporting lines, and a sliding connection from said mechanism to the traversing line, substantially as described.

8. In a device for transferring goods between two boats, the combination of a loadsupporting line extending between the boats, a carrier adapted to travel upon said line, a traversing line connected with the carrier, and means for actuating the traversing line, with a common compensating device connected with both of said lines and proportionately lengthening and shortening them together, substantially as described.

9. ha device for transferring goods between two boats, the combination of a loadsupporting line extending between the boats, a carrier adapted to travel upon said line, a traversing line connected with the carrier and means for actuating the traversing line, with a common compensating device directly connected with the load-supporting line and having a sliding connection with the traversing line whereby they are proportionately shortened or lengthened together, substantially as described.

10. In combination, a plurality of boats, a ropeway connecting the two, a tow-rope and means whereby the length of the said ropeway is controlled by the action of said towrope, substantially as described.

11. In combination a plurality of boats, a ropeway between the boats, an independent rope connecting the boats, and means connecting said rope and ropeway, whereby slackening of said rope causes tension to be exerted upon said ropeway.

12. In combination, a plurality of boats, a ropeway between the same, a tension device upon one boat tending to hold said ropeway taut and a rope connecting said tension device with the other boat whereby the movement of said tension device is controlled, substantially as described.

13. In combination, two relatively-movable supports a rope extending between said supports, a compensating engine secured to one end of said rope, and means independent of said rope for transferring a load between the supports upon said rope, substantially as described.

14. In combination, a plurality of boats, a spacing-cable and a trackway-cable connecting said boats, a carriage adapted to travel on the trackway-cable, and a compensating mechanism carried by one of the boats and acting upon both of said cables to maintain an approximately constant tension on said cables.

15. In combination, a plurality of boats, a cable connecting said boats, a load-carriage traveling on said cable, and means for maintaining a normal elevation of the cable and carriage consisting of a compensating drum connected with the cable, said cable being free of any traversing movement except that due to the compensating device, substantially as described.

16. In combination, two relatively-movable supports, a non-traversing cableway extending between said supports, a drum receiving one end of the cable, and a power device hav-' ing a fixed but yielding .rotative connection with said drum, substantially as described.

17. In combination, two relativelymovable supports, a spacing-rope and a trackway-rope connecting said supports, and a unitary takeup for both of said ropes.

18. In combination, two relatively-movable supports, a spacing-rope and a trackway-rope connecting said supports, a carriage on the trackway-rope, a traversing rope for said carriage, and a unitary take-up for all of said ropes.

J. c. VDELANEY.

Witnesses:

H. L. REYNOLDS, FRED S. KEMPER. 

